Where Do I Begin?

Can you believe its been 6 years since I left this blog and focused on college? Its funny, if you scroll a few pages back, you can find my post about “my college experience so far.” I really did try to maintain this blog through college. As a freshman I thought I could (hence the “college experience so far” post). Unfortunately after that first year, things didn’t get any easier. I struggled – crawled through countless Calculus and Physics classes. It was only last year when I finished the last 5 units of Calculus in our curriculum. I thought after that year, it was the end. No more stress. Goodbye sleepless nights. I only had 12 units (which meant 3 classes) to take on my final year, so I was expecting to breeze through it.

I was wrong. Thesis was probably the most challenging year for me.  I entered thesis year with the mindset that I wasn’t going to make thesis my whole life –unlike how most people get during this time. I thought “Well. I’m not running for best thesis or anything special like that anyway. All I want to do is graduate. I’m just going to wing this.”

Well that plan backfired. I entered thesis year and everyone was extremely competitive.  How could I maintain my “I don’t care” attitude when the pressure was so strong? I began to care. I became competitive because everyone else was so competitive! It would have been fine if there were others who didn’t care like me. But since everyone was competitive, I had to step my game up and also be competitive. I sure as hell didn’t want to present mediocre work compared to my peers.

And so, the road to thesis ensued. For two semesters, we worked intently on developing our individual projects. The sleepless nights I thought were gone forever, returned –times two.  In my 6 years of Architecture, this year was the first time I was awake for 48 hours straight. I didn’t even have time to eat. It was the kind of hustle where you know you cant eat because eating takes time and if you ate you wouldn’t be able to make it on the deadline. I told myself thesis wouldn’t become my entire world, but it did.

Fast forward to the last few weeks before deliberations which were the toughest for me, emotionally.  This was during final submissions of our architectural sheets, then the MEPS  sheets (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, Structurals). I was seeing everyones final works and I couldn’t help but compare myself. I was never a designer. As an architecture student, I was more interested in construction rather than design. So of course I couldn’t help but compare myself to the rest of my batchmates when I saw their designs and how detailed and beautiful they were compared to mine. My drafting was bad too. Basically, everyone was so much more advanced than me, and I couldn’t help from feeling bad about myself. Thoughts like “You studied Architecture for 6 years and this is all the kind of work you can produce?” entered my mind. There were many things I didn’t know how to execute through computer programs, but it was too late to learn everything since I was simultaneously working on my design. I did what I could with my measly computer skills. Submitted all my sheets. Did my model. Now all that’s left were deliberations.

I was scheduled on the last day of deliberations, so pressure was on me since almost everyone already passed by the time that it was my turn. Initially, and I even remember tweeting this, I said that it would be OK for me to do re-deliberations since for sure we’ll all pass as long as we submitted all the requirements. It was not until our faculty, Sir Chua, posted in our Facebook group of how proud he was of us because those who had their delibs all passed so far. I was pressured by this post. I was ready to accept defeat if it was meant to be, but when he posted this and I saw how happy he was that all his “children” passed so far, I didn’t want to be that one and only child who would disappoint him.

I now wanted to pass and not do redelibs. Not for me, but for my faculty. I wanted to make Sir Chua proud that all his students passed in one go. I saw the happiness it brought him, and I didn’t want to be that student who took that happiness away. And so, I worked harder to make sure I pass. I couldn’t change anything in my sheets anymore, so instead I just prepared extra hard for my presentation. I had a 6 page script, 4 page kodigo, and I printed extra CAD working drawings just in case my panel asked for anything that I wasn’t able to provide in my sheets. I was prepared. More than prepared. I did everything to salvage my thesis. If I had to do redeliberations, I wouldnt feel bad because I knew in my heart that I did my best and exerted maximum effort. I was content knowing that I genuinely put effort into my presentation, and in the scenario that I would have to do redelibs, I would never have regrets thinking “I should have done this, I should have done that, I should have prepared this”, etc.

And so, the day came and with God's grace and the kindest panel, I passed! I finally passed my undergraduate thesis and I am officially one last step towards graduation. It was a long hard journey, but hey, I made it! We all made it. 


please see my next post for my Acknowledgments to the people who made this all possible. I am nothing without them. My presentation board is also posted at the end of my Acknowledgments post so please read until the end if you would like to see it.

Thesis Acknowledgments

There are too many people to thank, too many I owe this thesis to.

To Sir Chua, my thesis faculty. For his undying effort in looking after us. Generally, thesis faculty don’t conduct individual thesis consultations anymore during the design stage – that’s what the thesis adviser is for, but Sir Chua was really hands on with us that we had required consultations until the very end of the thesis proper. He always made himself available to us, and he would always reply so quick whenever we consulted with him online through Facebook. Sometimes I’d send him paragraphs of questions on FB but he would still be so quick to reply. He was genuinely concerned for us which I really appreciated. If not for him, I dont think I would have pushed myself as much as I did.

To Ma’am Araneta, my thesis adviser. For being so supportive and giving the best advice, design wise. Like I mentioned during my delibs “If only you saw my initial design.. it has indeed gone a long way and definitely improved because my faculty and adviser who gave the best advice.” I will always remember what Ma’am Araneta told me. She said I was trying too hard to impress her and my faculty --that I was always following whatever she and Sir Chua said just to make them happy. “I feel like you’re trying so hard to impress us. Don’t design what you think Sir Chua and I will like. Base it on your style aesthetic. Don’t think about what we’ll think. Just do you.” From these words I reconstructed my design, and eventually came up with the final form for my presentation.

To my panel, Dean Espina, Sir Meonada, Sir Yazon, and Sir Sarthou for being so kind. I guess it was also because I did my part such that I really prepared for their questions, but it was still very refreshing that it didn’t feel as if I was being grilled which happens often during deliberations. Again, I have my adviser Ma’am Araneta to thank for this, “Don’t treat it as a question and answer portion, treat it like a conversation. Communicate with your panel.”

To Sir Manaloto, for helping us out with our structural concerns with thesis. He was a big help with the technical aspects of our designs, and I was surprised by how accommodating he was. Kami na nga yung nagpaconsult, kami pa yung nilibre niya ng food! Thank you Sir, I will miss structurals class with you!

To Don and Mikee.. you guys know this already because I cried during deliberations acknowledgments because of you two. But seriously from the bottom of my heart, I will never forget the help and support you two have given me. Mikee, honestly sayo ko lang talaga nakuha yung support na binigay mo. Yung mga “Hindi ka nga magreredelibs! Wag mo isipin na magreredelibs ka!” Kahit sa pamilya ko, wala akong nakuhang support na ganun. Kaya nga sabi ko, sa inyo ko lang talaga nakuha yung confidence to push through. The support was only from one person, but it was enough to keep me going. Even if I had mediocre designs, you still believed I could do it, and that’s what made me push myself more. To Don, for always being there to suffer with me, and also being my support system. You were there at my lowest and highest, so thank you for that. You were there during my panic moments, and ~almost-breakdown~ moments. Thank you for all the advice and tips you gave about thesis and always being there to answer my queries to anything thesis related.

To AF Sepanx, this is one of the moments when I realized how friendship can surpass just mere friendship. Never in my life did I think I would ask for anything from you guys other than friendship. I really didn’t think that a friendship I made in an org would actually help me finish thesis. Like Don, I don’t like asking help from people because I didn’t like the feeling of bothering others. I was surprised that sometimes I didn’t even have to ask, but you guys were the ones who actually offered to help. The amount of help you guys offered and gave was overwhelming. This thesis became presentable because of you guys. Thank you to Nina, Berns, and Mikee for helping out with perspectives, Kor and Mikee (again) for sending their sample thesis files from last year for us to base ours on, Drew for helping with my SDP, and Sophie who offered her house as a semi-thesis house. Also shoutout to Tin, who is not AF but practically fits in this category of friends. You were one of the friends who offered to help and I really appreciate that (also my favorite perspective was yours! Hehe kilig ka ba. Ang ganda talaga!). The perspectives you guys helped with really brought my design to life so thank you for that.

To AF Undergrad, again, I never knew how an org could help me so much.  I did not expect the help I received from AF Undergrad at all. You guys are younger and since I haven’t been active in AF and not so close with a lot of you, I didn’t think anyone would actually help me out. I was surprised by how so many of you were so willing to help and really went out of your way to help us. For those who stayed overnight in Arki to help with our models, for those who helped with my perspectives: Japhet and Juami,  and a few other honorable mentions: Joanna, Maidy, Anna, Lance, Ronn, and Domeng.  The help was heartwarming coming from the younger batches. When its your time to do thesis, I’m sure the favor will be returned.

To Gerard and Poncho, mga besh tapos na tayo. Can you believe it???? Thank you for being a huge support system and panicking with me, sharing all the information you know about thesis, and just simply being there to calm me down when I’m on the verge. Although we never actually worked together, it felt as if sabay pa rin tayo gumagawa from the constant updates we have with each other. It feels so good to be able to celebrate this victory with you guys because we went through the experience together. Thank you!

To Kevin, Gab, Robbie, Kiel, and Christa, for allowing me to present to you my initial thesis in its early stages. I presented to you guys at different times in Starbucks, Kev and Gab on one time, then Robbie, Kiel, and Christa on another. Napagkamalan pa nga na nag-nnetworking tayo =))) Thank you for the support and analyzing my design even if you guys arent Architecture students. You guys being there to listen was enough.

To my highschool  barkada, for letting me present my thesis to you guys multiple times. I still remember the first day I ever presented my initial design and I was grilled by Karl and Ricky. To be fair, that session improved my thesis a lot more. Despite Karl being the only Architecture graduate in the barkada, all of you still listened to my presentation and gave all the possible feedback and advice you could give. Practicing even my final presentation with you guys calmed down all my nerves and made me more confident. Thank you guys for believing in me.

To STARBUCKS, for being my number one and only sponsor in this thesis. Every single thesis all nighter was spent with Starbucks. I could say I spent ATLEAST 70% of my thesis year in Starbucks. Sometimes I would have breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the joint. I would be at there almost everyday with a schedule of 3pm-12mn just doing thesis, sometimes even earlier than 3pm. This thesis was sponsored by Starbucks to the point that even the coffee and food I served for my 9am deliberations was from Starbucks. (Thanks to Ronn and Don for helping me carry 8 cups of coffee and 8 sandwiches to my delibs that day!) Shout out to Starbucks, Katipunan branch because that was my homebase, with the best baristas, and friendliest security guards!

And last but not least, to my family, who I would not be here without. To my dad for being so understanding of my thesis schedule, and allowing me to go home late from Starbucks even on weekdays, and mostly for just knowing when to leave me alone when I’m stressed, to my mom for being supportive, more about my lovelife than thesis lol but she’s always been supportive anyway and I will always appreciate her for that, and to my sister who never fails to praise my work which always encourages me to work harder every time.

Before I go, may I present my undergraduate thesis which I presented on the 13th of April 2016, the Center for Fashion Technology, Merchandising, and Research. I will always remember this day as the mark of the culmination of everything I ever learned in UP Architecture. The end of another chapter in my life.

Thank you everyone for the support and believing in me. This thesis would be nothing without all of you. I hope in some way, I made a few of you proud.

Sunnies and Stripes

Topshop shirt, H&M blazer, Forever 21 skirt, Kamiseta flats, Aldo sunglasses.

Wore this to Sunday lunch with the parents at Tagaytay. Classes havent started for me yet but enrollment period's over. So next week's gonna be the official week of school! After that 4 month vacation I really dont know what to expect. Do I still know how to Archi? Lol we shall find out...

Finally Back To School

Forever 21 Top, Mango Jacket and Jeans, New Look Boots, Longchamp Le Cuir Bag in Paprika

After four months of summer vacation, I'm finally heading back to school! Been rewatching Gossip Girl the past month so here is a tribute to Serena's style. Went with a school inspired outfit since its enrollment once again (tomorrow!). Please dont mind the ugly background lol it was gloomy out so I wasnt able to take a proper outfit shot. I'm *trying* (keyword: trying) to start blogging again since I've figured I've been starting to spam instagram with my outfit shots. Hopefully I'll be able to update atleast once every weekend. Also dont expect SLR quality photos since I dont have time to do that anymore. Phone transfer is way faster!

xx trish

Happy Mother's Day!!!!

A lot of people ask me why they never really see my mom in my blog. Well, thats because she's usually the one behind the camera (she loves taking our pictures!) and during our last major trip to the States, she wasnt there because of her work. Anyhoo, so for all those who are ever so curious about my mother, here is an entire post dedicated to her! :-)

 

If I were to describe my mom in one word, it would be SELFLESS. That is her major trait. Well all parents are expected to be selfless, but my mom's selflessness is one of a kind. She is always there for me, guiding me every step of the way. When I need something, she goes out of her way to get it for me. She'll never have second thoughts (Of course the need has to be urgent haha). She'll always check on me, and not in an overprotective parent way. She listens to me when I talk and I see that her care for me is genuine. If I am sick, she will not leave me behind. She'll constantly check on me after a number of hours. She'll bring my medicines up to my room and make sure I eat my meals so I get better. When I'm sad, she will stay with me in my room and she will just talk to me all about it. She will help me feel better. She'll hug me and assure me that everything will be alright.

   

When I'm not allowed to use the car, or when I'm too sick to stay at the dorm by myself, she will endure the 2 hour drive to school everyday just to make sure I get home safe -- even if she still has work to do and even if she still has to pick up my little sister from class. I hate it when this happens, because I feel bad toward my sister (since she gets picked up late cause of me..) and for my mom ofcourse. Cause its like she just doesnt have any rest.

 

My mom is many things. She is an artist, a cook, a pianist, a businesswoman, and a dentist (yes, she was a dentist until she decided to help my grandma in their business instead!). My mom is an artist -- she loves anything that has to do with art. Painting, fashion, drawing, interior design (she designed the interiors of our house all by herself!!). She's a really good painter. She has one big painting that she painted herself which is displayed in the 2nd floor of our house. She's an AWESOME cook!!! I cant even begin to explain how awesome. Everytime I come home from the dorm, I'm SUPER excited to go home cause I cant wait to try her cooking. Even if she's already in her late 40's, she still goes to cooking lessons up to today just so she can please her family. Ask anyone, I'm always excited to go home and that's mainly because I love everything she cooks :-)

   

 She's also a pianist! She's been learning piano since she was a child, and when I was already of age, I was made to take piano lessons too. We eventually had a teacher who'd come to the house to teach me, my little sister, and my mom. I really never liked piano though, so it was really just my mom who excelled in it. Haha!

My mom is both my bestfriend and my mother. She never fails to remind me to fix myself, put on some make-up, dress nice, look pretty. And of course she never fails to threaten me too with "dont do drugs, dont get pregnant, or I'm disowning you" Haha. And for this fear alone I am sworn never to do so.

 

My mom can understand how I feel. That's why I love her so. She's not unreasonable. Everytime she says I cant do something, she explains to me why, and I dont do it, because I understand her back.

Obviously, there is so much to say about my mom. This entire blogpost is barely enough. She may not notice it, but she is EVERYTHING to me :-) And one day, when she is in my situation, when she's old, and too sick to drive, or too sick to get out of bed, I will return to her all the favors that she has done for me.

There is no role model like my mother. I want to be everything like her. I am very happy and thankful that it is her womb where I came from. To end this post, I would just like to say, Thankyou Mom, for raising me for a whole 20 years and being patient with me in times when I dont follow you. If I get rude sometimes, and if I've caused you any horrible emotional pain. I love you so much mom!!!! I wouldnt be the person I am without you :-)

Love,
Trisha :-)

 

Perfect Birthday

I'm officially 20!!! I had the best 20th birthday celebration today because I was able to spend it with all my loved ones and I was reminded of how I am loved and so #blessed as well.

Started my birthday off with a birthday salubong on my birthday eve. On the night of the 29th, my closest friends came over for dinner and drinks and they all stayed up with me till midnight to celebrate my coming of age into the twenties! It was a good night with only the best company I could ever have :-)
 

The next morning was my actual BIRTHDAY! I was greeted by my entire family and my little sister came in with a gift... it was the Smashbox Photo Op Eyeshadow ICON Palette!!!! I've been super wanting this palette since around 2 months ago and since I'm always out shopping with my sis I told her that this is one of the things that I wanted. Its actually very expensive for eyeshadow so when I found a cheaper alternative, I asked her for that instead but then the shop ran out of stocks so she got me this. My sister is so awesome, I swear. (She's like 10x cooler than me no joke!!)

After getting ready, we headed to Makati Shang for lunch at Circles. God I swear I love food. Please dont judge me when you see me back in school next year huhu I've gained millions. 

There were actually a LOT of food but I ended up only eating the fresh selections simply because I was craving and damn, sushi is just hella good. I had a bit of beef and cheese assortment as well but I had more of the seafood. I ate 10x more than whats photographed of course.

Oddly, I didnt have much dessert (yes, hindi pa "much dessert" yan lol). I usually sample each cake on the buffet table and I have an entire plate full of desserts (there was a cake with macarons on top...) but for some reason my stomach just couldnt handle anymore and I just had these.

Mango Crepe, Raspberry Sorbet, Molten Chocolate Cake.

After which I opened my parents birthday gift for me which was a Pandora bracelet. I actually had the hardest time thinking of what to ask for this Christmas and my birthday and it eventually boiled down to a Pandora bracelet or a new bag.. I chose the Pandora. 

I read about Pandora before deciding that this was what I was going to ask for and I realized that this was going to be a timeless, classic piece that would hold my memories (thus the Pandora's tagline 'Unforgettable Moments'). Pandora is a charm bracelet that offers a variety of charms from sterling silver, gold, two-toned, sterling silver with gemstones, and Murano glass beads. With the price of the charms, one may need to collect the charms little by little before completing the actual bracelet. This adds value to your bracelet though because each charm that you add would then have a significant meaning to your bracelet as you build it up along the way.

For my bracelet, I started with two clips: the Flower clip (leftmost) and S clip (right). I then chose the two-toned Queen Bee charm w 14k gold, the Cool Breeze Blue Topaz charm, and the two-toned Cupcake charm w 14k gold. I chose these because I thought they represented me, plus they were cute!! Their gold is non-plated btw so the smallest dot of gold in the charm can really increase the price. 

The bracelet was pre-bought before Christmas so we already had it but I just opened it today. Today though, dad offered to buy me another bead!! The Love Me Black Mother of Pearl charm. This is a topper in my favorite beads (and its actually in my wishlist) so I was so happy when dad said he'd get it for me. It's also very unique and pretty much love at first sight. 

Since dad got me this bead today, I named it my 'birthday bead' because I got it on my birthday and now it'll hold the memories that I spent with everyone on this very special day of mine. 

Finally, as I was in Makati with my family to celebrate, my friend Desa from my college circle of friends dropped by to give me this! She and Binky, another really close friend of mine, made me this birthday card with photos of us and some other close friends. I love getting things like these and theres probably nothing that can make me happier. In fact, upon opening gifts, its really the dedication I look for first. A meaningful dedication, no matter whats inside the giftbox, already means so much to the receiver. One dedication can carry an entire gift! :-) 

In the end, this day was all very heartwarming. Love came from everywhere. From my highschool friends, college friends, and from my family. My birthday this year was definitely filled with love. Hoping for the next few ones to be the same as well. Thank you to everyone who greeted and made this day so very special for me! :-)

In The Spirit of Christmas

Long time no blog. I actually still have two more entries for that Japan trip I had last summer but we'll save that for another time. I'm blogging right now cause I'm home early, on a FRIDAY night, the night of UP's Lantern Parade, and supposedly our last day of seeing all our college friends before the awaited Christmas break. I decided to blog because of my new found 'maturity' or as how i call it, 'retirement' lol. I just couldnt feel Christmas this year. The Lantern Parade this year was way different from how it was last. I remember last year's parade like it was just yesterday. It was so fun. Smiles and laughter everywhere. It was so different this year. I guess most of us just went our separate ways. And since we're getting older, not much of us join the Lantern Parade anymore. I call my status 'retirement' because I went home early today, and I just really wanted more than anything, to be home on my bed while watching some TV series. Its not like me. I was always that girl who stayed up in all the parties, always thirsty for alchohol. I was that girl who snuck out of the dorm numerous times just to go return to parties if I wanted to go home late. But now, I'm home at 8:30pm and feeling more enjoyment than I had earlier at our college which had free flowing pizza and beer. Yes, I chose my bed and tv series over pizza and beer.

I dont know. Maybe it comes with age, or maybe its because of all the work I've been doing both academics and org-wise. I guess in the end you could probably say I'm burned out. After being in position for some time, you get tired of it too. I'm a Director for External Affairs in one of my organizations, and I'm also part of the Externals team in my other org so my job really consists of external relations. I was perfect for those positions because socializing with others has always been my thing. I guess when it actually becomes your job to socialize, you get tired of it that when you have luxury time, you just want to be by yourself. Makes sense, doesnt it?

But ah well, atleast we could say that I'm maturing at the right time. I'm definitely starting to love staying in more. I'm turning 20 in fifteen days and wow how time flies. This is probably my body starting to adjust to the new year that I am about to seize.

Before I go, a little quote which captured the essence of my current feelings, from Danielle's blog, TrustMe-ItsParadise.blogspot.com:

"Following a recent exceptionally harrowing fever, and an extended trip to the island I call home, days of self-imposed detox and lots and lots of sleep, I felt emotionally drained and surprisingly nostalgic and anti-social. I am like a lost baby bear constantly fighting off the un-ignorable desire to fall into a permanent winter slumber.."


Goodnight.

The Structural Side

 

What I Wore: Topshop sweater, Giordano basic longsleeve, Zara jeans, Forever 21 boots, Chanel bag.

 This day consisted more of just going around different cities in Japan. God, the trains there are the worst to get used to. So confusing! We probably got lost a billion times during this trip. Its hard to get used to the trains in Japan cause they have more train lines than the ones in NY or HK plus not everything has an English translation so its really hard to get around especially with the fast-paced lifestyle of everyone there. In my honest opinion, it was even more fast-paced in Japan than in New York (considering NY is known to be such a fast-paced city). In Japan, there was never a time when it was just all peace and quiet in the subway. Okay, maybe when it gets late at around 10pm.. but any time before that? Not a chance.

So on this day we did a lot of sight-seeing. We visited Odaiba where we caught a glimpse of the Fuji TV Headquarters (being an Archi student I got all starstruck upon seeing the the building). We went on a tour around Odaiba and dropped by this mall for some genuine Japanese Tonkatsu, followed by a trip to this other mall where there was a showcase of Toyota cars. Here we also realized how expensive dogs are in Japan as we saw dogs being sold in the mall for a hundred thousand PESOS. Yes, dogs here in the Philippines can cost around twenty thousand pesos at most but back there, a hundred thousand was the base cost --and this wasnt even for labradors or any big dogs, they were for teacup sized dogs like chiuauas and terriers.

Anyhoo, we ended the day with a trip to the Tokyo Tower in Minato. Did you know that the Tokyo Tower is even taller than the Eiffel Tower? Its the world's tallest self-supporting steel tower at 333 meters compared to Eiffel Tower's 320 meter height. We spent the night at the viewing deck of the Tokyo Tower to marvel at Tokyo's skyline while a band, Sapatos, played in the background. Add some Baskin Robbins icecream to that, and the night ended perfectly well.

 

Omotesando Hills

What I Wore: Mango tube top, H&M Blazer, Forever 21 sequined shorts and boots, Marks&Spencer tights, Chanel bag.

Hey guys! So it's been more than 7 months since this trip and yet I'm only able to post again now. School's been killer. It is seriously no joke studying in UP. Especially Architecture, at that. I have honestly not crawled this much in my entire life. Haha.

Anyhoo, so this was another day over at Japan. I pretty much dont remember the names of all the places we visited anymore except that on this day we went to Shibuya, Omotesando Hills (the 'Beverly Hills' of Japan), and Akihabara (Capital city for anime!). We basically just shopped on this day and bought pasalubong in this traditional souvenir shop in Omotesando Hills. Shibuya was jampacked with shops as well. There was the 109 Department Store which was so.. nice!! A department store just FULL of girl stuff on each floor. Could've probably spent the entire day there if not for my parents rushing. Our last stop was Akihabara since my sister wanted to look for the anime figurine that she wanted there (she goes crazy for these things). That place is crazy wild as well. A ton of buildings with endless floors overflowing with toys! We werent able to find the exact figurine that she wanted and it was getting late so we ended up going back the following day.

That's about it for now! I'm preparing more posts for you guys soon. Oh and did you notice my new blog layout? It's so pretty now! Took me till 5am the other day just fixing the blog. Thought it needed a fresh change :-)